1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to feeding implements, and in particular, to spoons and other feeding implements for medically fragile persons, especially children.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Feeding implements of all sizes and shapes have been developed for people to feed themselves. In most western countries, these feeding implements consist of spoons and forks. However, very few developments have been made in developing feeding implements for medically fragile persons to feed themselves or who must be fed by assisting persons. Medically fragile persons include children and adults who have serious physical or mental deficiencies, who may be subject to seizures, and are unable to properly use feeding implements to feed themselves. Spoons are the most important feeding implements for medically fragile persons, since spoons can hold most foods and are less dangerous to the person being fed. The spoon or other feeding implement must be able to hold the food, must enable the easy discharge of the food into the fragile person's mouth, and must be made of a material which cannot injure the medically fragile person. Such injury could occur if the fragile person bites down hard on the implement, as in the case of a seizure, the implement impacts on the fragile person's teeth, face or eyes. Further, the spoon must be shaped so that in situations where an assisting person is feeding a medically fragile person, the assisting person is able to see both the food on the implement and the mouth of the person being fed. Spoons and other feeding implements for medically fragile persons should be age-appropriate; that is, children should have feeding implements which are small enough to fit in their mouths, whereas older persons should have larger implements for their respective sizes. Spoons and other implements having these features are not yet known. The feeding implements should be germ-free and sanitary before use. The main use for the feeding implements is in hospitals and other institutions, and must be designed and packaged to keep costs low and facilitate use of the implements. These implements for institutions and for many other situations as well, should be disposable to avoid the time and expense of washing and sanitizing the implements after use. Feeding implements for medically fragile persons have been developed, but they are generally quite complicated and do not satisfy the features required as noted above. The spoons are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,058,279; 5,068,967 and 5,373,643.
The inventor of the feeding implement to which the present patent application is directed was the parent of a medically fragile person. He conceived and developed the feeding element disclosed and claimed in this application as a result of his helping to care for his child having been unable to locate a feeding implement for feeding his child.